04 May A Word from Ms O about Kids Biking

Posted at 11:58h in Trails Council News by
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I must admit…I am reminiscing a little bit. Last spring my ‘Kids Pedaling with a Purpose’ program was in full swing. The photos below are the Harbor Springs 4th grade classes who rode with us this same week last year. I picked out a few photos to share with you and also included a map of our educational ride. We had the kids color this map at one of our teaching stations at Spring Lake Park before our departure. A homeschool lesson idea for area parents: Print copies of the attached map. Have your kids color the 4 mile route (one way – 8 miles route trip) and identify the ‘native’ and ‘invasive’ species in our area. Then load up your bikes and go for an educational bike ride on the North Western State Trail, starting at (or near) Spring Lake Park. Stop at the Hiawatha Historical site on Round Lake and read about the Native American pageants that took place there in the early 1900s, and then pedal on the the Oden Fish Hatchery for a picnic lunch and a nature hike back to the ‘trout ponds’. You could even stop along the way and do a little ‘Trail Trash Clean-up’! 

#PedalwithaPurpose#ExperientialLearning#FitnessforLife#NWSTRocks!

  • This is Rachel Jackson’s class (Harbor Springs) ready to roll!
  • Harbor Springs 4th graders – Liz Dunn’s class
  • The ‘green group’ is lined up and ready.
  • I had this 4th grader’s Mom in class. Yes…a two-generation teacher!
  • A history lesson at Round Lake – the Hiawatha Pageants in the early 1900s – taught by Lisa Loyd.
  • A picnic lunch at the Oden Fish Hatchery.
  • Rachel Jackson and her friends Joe Graham and his daughter. All 3 pedaled to the hatchery!
  • Liz Dunn, her husband and their new puppy!
  • Harbor kids ready for their science class!
  • Fish Hatchery Nature Hike with Miss Chris – an awesome DNR tour guide.
  • Thousands of baby trout.
  • “Thumbs Up! On the count of three…Thank-you Miss Chris!”
Here is your map! Print it. Color the stop signs red. Color the educational stars yellow (these are your stopping sites on your ride). Look up and read about the Native American names of Round Lake and Crooked Lake. Color the plants and animals – researching each one and identifying it as ‘native’ to our area or ‘invasive’. Make sure you know what invasive means. Then…head out for an awesome day on the North Western State Trail!